


The Zodiac Curse

by lake_writes



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Bisexual Saihara Shuichi, Fruits Basket au, Human K1-B0 (Dangan Ronpa), Multi, Pansexual Akamatsu Kaede, Trans Saihara Shuichi, but you'll find that out later owo, i changed how the curse works too, ive been planning this au for so long, tags will be added as needed, uuh, you have no idea
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23897218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lake_writes/pseuds/lake_writes
Summary: Saihara Shuichi thought that life couldn't get any more bizarre than having dead parents and lying to his uncle about living alone in a tent in the woods while the home they shared was being remodeled, all while going to high school. Of course, all is disproved when he meets Tojo Kirumi and Akamatsu Kaede, and the rest that follow.~~~~~Me, writing another fic instead of finishing one of my previous ones. Of course.Discord Server: https://discord.gg/fbfnQxv
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi, Pairings will be added as they come - Relationship
Comments: 20
Kudos: 107





	1. 1

The air was warm, Shuichi noted, as he stepped out into the sunlight, a soft smile upon his lips. A bookbag was safely clutched in his right hand, containing all the homework he had struggled to finish the night before, with only a small lamp to see by. He turned, smiling softly at the tent he had emerged from and the framed photo within it. He had been living out here, in these woods, for quite some time now, in this tent that he had managed to find on sale online. It was small and uncomfortable, sure, and he ended up with an aching back more often than not, but at least it was some form of shelter, which was more than a lot of people had. “I’m heading to school,” he whispered, seemingly to no one in particular and yet to someone all the same. 

He ducked down, resting on one knee as he fumbled for the zipper that would seal the inside of the tent off from the rest of the world, flashing a gentle smile at the framed photograph sitting next to the sleeping bag he had used the previous night. A woman smiled back at him from behind the glass, her grey-gold eyes glimmering happily as she flashed a peace sign at the camera. “See you soon, Mom.” With those final words, he pulled the zipper closed along the track, pushing himself back to his feet as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

He listened to the dirt crunching beneath his shoes as he wandered along the path that parted the trees, casting a quick glance at the glittering wristwatch he wore underneath his uniform. “...I have a little time,” he murmured softly, lifting his head and glancing around. “I can afford to explore for a little while.” He continued along the path, his pace now having slowed to a more leisurely stroll from his usual casually brisk walk, his golden-grey eyes taking in the scenery around him.

The gentle sound of wind chimes caught his attention, the sound light and familiar against his ears. Warm and inviting. It reminded him of home. His heart ached with longing, and his eyes softened as he subconsciously followed the sound. He had lived in an apartment, alone with his mother, for most of his life, and the thing that he insisted made the place feel more like home to him was the windchime that hung outside on their balcony. They were the only thing he had been allowed to keep from that apartment after the incident, aside from his own belongings.

Shuichi’s curiosity piqued as a rather large house came into view, nestled snugly between the threes. It looked well-kept, standing tall and proud and fitting in rather well with nature. He could hear water rippling nearby; maybe they had a stream of some sort or even a pond. His curiosity buzzing, as it usually was, he made his way down the walkway toward the front, zeroed in on a strange stand covered in stones sitting outside on the front porch. His eyes lit up as he recognized the animalistic designs.

“Oh? Hello there,” a female voice called out, startling Shuichi and making him jump. He stared upward, his eyes wide, at the girl standing a few feet away on the porch, a hairbrush in her hand. She wore a light pink t-shirt and a pair of white shorts. Had she just been getting ready? “Are you lost?”

She spoke kindly, her plum eyes twinkling as she tilted her head and smiled at him. Her blonde hair hung slightly in her face. “A-Ah, no, I apologize if I’m intruding,” Shuichi stuttered out, his cheeks tinting a soft shade of pink as he bowed. “I was just passing by, a-and I saw the figures, so I thought I’d take a closer look.”

A brief look of confusion crossed the girl’s face, although her smile was quick to return, warm and inviting as it had been before. “Ah, my zodiac figures?” she asked, crossing over to the stand and patting one with her index finger. She inspected it for a brief moment before her smile widened. “Ah, they’re just about dry. I wasn’t expecting someone else to know the legend.”

“Of course, I know the legend!” Shuichi exclaimed, his cheeks turning pink at the outburst. “My mom would tell it to me when I was going to bed every night when I was little!” A fond smile crept across his face as he thought back on it, recalling her smooth, gentle voice and how warm and happy he felt every time she’d wish him a good night. He blinked back into reality as he stared down at the figures. “Oh, but… It makes sense you wouldn’t have him.”

The girl tilted her head, looking confused. “Him?”

“Oh, th-the cat,” Shuichi stuttered. “Most everyone leaves the cat out, which is understandable, but… It’s kind of sad, don’t you think? He missed the banquet, and so he’s excluded from almost everything.” God, he probably sounded stupid now, Shuichi thought, wincing internally. He should have just kept his mouth shut, and-

The girl began to laugh, doubling over and clutching her midsection. It was honestly a laugh that made Shuichi feel the world was at peace, even just for a brief moment. She eventually straightened, wiping a tear from her eye as she grinned at him. “Ah… I apologize for laughing,” she said quickly, a few giggles still bubbling their way past her lips. “I just wasn’t expecting you to say that. Are you a fan of the cats?” She tilted her head.

“I-I suppose you could say that,” Shuichi murmured, scratching at his cheek shyly. “I remember telling my mom once when I was younger that I wanted to be the year of the cat so that he wouldn’t be lonely.” His cheeks turned an embarrassed shade of pink as he thought back. “I really committed to it, too.” He laughed awkwardly.

The girl only continued to smile, arms crossed loosely over her chest. “Huh,” she hummed. “You sound like you were an interesting kid. Your mom must really love you.”

Shuichi froze at the mention of his mother, his eyes widening ever so slightly as the girl’s statement rattled around in his brain. Slowly, he averted his gaze, taking a sudden interest in the strap of his bag. “Y...Yeah… she did,” he muttered after a moment, pressing his lips together in a thin line. “She… really did."

Silence stretched over the two as realization crossed the girl’s face. Her hands flew to cover her mouth, her eyes wide as she stuttered out apology after apology. “I-I’m so sorry; I shouldn’t have said that,” she mumbled, wringing her hands. “God, I’m so stupid, I should have thought before I opened my mouth-”

“Kaede-san, what are you muttering about?” a familiar voice came from the room behind the girl. Shuichi’s head snapped up to make eye contact with Toujo Kirumi, an astute young woman with a bit of a reputation among their class. “Ah, Saihara-kun,” she hummed, giving him a sweet smile. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here; I hope my roommate hasn’t given you any trouble.”

“A-Ah, no,” Shuichi stuttered out, his eyes wide and his cheeks red. “Not at all, we were just talking a-about her zodiac figures.” His tongue felt dry and oddly heavy as he spoke, taking in the pretty features of the girl before him. She was carefully fixing something into her hair, no doubt to add to her maid aesthetic. Kirumi was, Shuichi supposed, the perfect image of a maid, always neat and tidy, keeping things in their proper place and doing her best to keep her peers in line and working toward their full potential. Would she praise him or scold him for living in the middle of the woods in a tent, he wondered briefly.

“You know him?” the blonde girl asked, tilting her head as she looked between the two of them. “I just saw him outside; it was honestly a bit startling.”

Kirumi tipped her head in a slight nod as she picked her bag up from where it was lying against the table in the middle of the room. “Of course. He’s in my class. Saihara-kun, this is Akamatsu Kaede, she’s… well, she’s my roommate, for the most part.” Her smile turned somewhat dry. “However, we do come from the same clan.” She shrugged a shoulder as her smile relaxed. “Kaede-san, this is Saihara Shuichi.”

Kaede folded herself into a bow. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Saihara-kun,” she murmured, glancing up at him apologetically. “I do apologize if I seemed insensitive with my comment. It wasn’t my intention.”

“I-It’s fine,” Shuichi responded, mentally kicking himself for his stutter. “You didn’t know, so you didn’t mean any harm by it.”

Kirumi glanced at a clock nearby, heaving a sigh that effectively broke the conversation up. “Well,” she hummed, moving towards the door. “We’d best be getting going. We’ll be late otherwise.” She glanced at Kaede. “...Take care at school.”

Shuichi couldn’t help but note the careful tone in her voice and the flash in Kirumi’s eyes that suggested that she was speaking of some sort of secret, one that he couldn’t even begin to imagine. His curiosity deepened as Kaede nodded, her eyes darkening with the shroud of that same secret. “You take care as well,” she responded, before she turned to Shuichi and smiled with the radiance of what seemed to be a million suns. “And you too, Saihara-kun. Don’t work too hard, or you’ll get sick, you hear?”

“Ah, you as well,” Shuichi responded, feeling uneasy all of a sudden.

“You may walk with me, if you wish,” Kirumi murmured to him as the door slid closed, hiding Kaede from view once more. She was walking down the path at a pace that couldn’t truthfully be called normal or brisk, a pace that was all her own, just as much of an enigma as she was. Kiibo, Shuichi’s closest and, dare he say, the only friend, constantly commented on the fact, claiming that something about her was just off.

Shuichi jogged to catch up with her, falling in beside her and doing his best to match her pace. “So, how come Akamatsu-san doesn’t go to the same school as us, since you two live together?” he asked, tilting his head as he turned to look at the maid.

Kirumi remained silent, her gaze turning thoughtful as if she were weighing her words in her mind. It was a good moment before she spoke again. “There was a… incident when she was younger, that required her to be put into a private school. Not many students attend there, so class sizes are pretty small. It’s a perfect fit for her.”

Shuichi opened his mouth, another question on the tip of his tongue, only to be shot down by a thinly masked glare from Kirumi. This was not a topic that was open for discussion, it seemed. Shuichi shut his mouth again, this time turning to look ahead of them, as the two of them lapsed into silence for the rest of the walk.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh this chapter is shorter, and I apologize for that. I wasn't sure how to continue it without it dragging on forever so I cut it short. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer! Regardless, I hope you enjoy!

As soon as Shuichi stepped past the school gates with Kirumi at his side, he felt as if he was being watched. His skin crawled at the realization, and he cast a quick glance around in an attempt to locate the source. No one seemed to be in view, other than the students that trickled in through the gates after them, pushing past Shuichi and nearly knocking him over while they seemed to give Kirumi a wide berth. “Well, Saihara-kun,” Kirumi spoke up, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. “I suppose we should say our goodbyes. I have duties with the student council that I simply must attend to.”

“A-Ah, of course,” Shuichi stuttered out, bowing slightly. “I’d hate to keep you from important work. Thank you for accompanying me; it was a pleasure to walk with you, Toujo-san.”

He heard her giggle, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink at the sound. “There’s no need to thank me. It was merely a coincidence, and rather convenient, seeing as we were heading the same way.” She turned, fixing her hair, almost needlessly, for Shuichi couldn’t find a thing wrong with it as he straightened up, before she waved at him over her shoulder and strode away, the quickness in her stride suggesting that she, rightfully so, had somewhere to be.

He stood, rooted to the spot as he watched her leave. How could a first-year hold so much confidence like that? He could barely even talk to one of their upperclassmen without stuttering or otherwise messing up a sentence. Shuichi shook himself out of his stupor, clearing his throat nervously as the motion drew the attention of the other students that filed past him, ducking his head and rushing toward the school building to change his shoes.

He had only managed to unlock his locker and toe one shoe off before he was interrupted. “Shuichi-kun!” a familiar voice called out, one that made him perk up with a grin, turning to greet the source.

“Kiibo-kun, good morning,” he responded as the white-haired boy sidled up next to him, leaning his back against the locker next to Shuichi’s own. “How are you doing today?”

Iidabashi Kiibo was the newcomer’s name. He was Shuichi’s best, and admittedly, his only friend had been since middle school. Alright, maybe that wasn’t true, but he was the friend that had stuck around the longest, while others had gotten absorbed into other friend groups when high school started.

“I’m doing well, Shuichi-kun,” he spoke politely, grinning up at his friend with bright, blue eyes. “And you? I hope your uncle’s doing well.”

“A-Ah, yes, we’re both doing fine,” Shuichi responded, his cheeks heating up at the lie. It was a simple one, no harm done as it rolled over his tongue, but he still felt ashamed for lying to his only friend. However, he had to. He knew that if Kiibo knew what he was doing, he’d insist that he come to stay in his home with his father, who was a well-known inventor.

Shuichi instantly felt guilty at the thought of staying in their house. It would just add more to their plate, which was already full of responsibilities as it was. Kiibo’s smile faltered, and Shuichi panicked inwardly. Had he picked up on the lie? “Shuichi-kun, are you sure?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. “If it’s about your mother, you don’t have to be afraid to talk about it. Losing a parent… It’s difficult.”

While Kiibo had never actually lost his mother, not in Shuichi's way, he had some experience. His mother and father had divorced when Kiibo was young; if he recalled correctly, his mother accusing his father of being a workaholic and not spending enough time with her and their son. Although Kiibo’s father had apologized, and although they had worked hard to try and make things work, for Kiibo’s sake, it seemed the damage had been done, because a year later, his mother had packed her bags and left.

Kiibo still saw her often, which really made Shuichi happy to hear about. His uncle had taken cases that often resulted in a family ending up split in a divorce, and it was rarely ever an amicable end to those relationships. Shuichi had a scar on the palm of his hand from one such encounter. He could still feel the sting if he focused hard enough.

“Shuichi-kun?” Shuichi jolted back as Kiibo’s fingers waved in his face, breaking him from his train of thought. “Are you feeling sick? Should I bring you to the infirmary?” The worry in Kiibo’s voice was almost heartbreaking. “I can have them call your uncle to send you home…”

“No!” Shuichi responded, a bit too quickly, a bit too forcefully. Kiibo blinked, taken aback by his friend’s outburst. “Ah… I’m sorry, Kiibo-kun. I’m fine, really.” He smiled at his friend. “I’m just tired, is all; juggling homework while also working a part-time job is pretty difficult sometimes.”

Shuichi grimaced internally at the lie. It tasted bitter on his tongue. He absolutely hated to lie to his best friend, but sometimes, things like these were necessary. Luckily for him, Kiibo seemed to buy it, smiling up at him in the sincere way he always did as he nodded. “Alright, Shuichi-kun!” he hummed, nodding happily. “Now, come on, we should get to homeroom, huh? We don’t want to be late, or Yukizome-sensei will have our heads!”

With that, Kiibo’s hand flashed out, seizing Shuichi’s wrist, barely giving him time to shove his shoes in his locker and shut the door before the white-haired boy dragged him off to their classroom to start the day.

~~~~~~

The school day was rather uneventful, Shuichi found, as he walked the familiar dirt trail back to his home, as he had work that day. He didn’t really do anything much; his uncle refused to let him help with cases at his detective agency while he was in school, so he resorted to a simple cleaning job part-time at a local office building in town. It didn’t pay much, but he was grateful for what he got.

The sun had already set by the time he had finished his shift, plunging him in the darkness of the forest. He had long since gotten over being afraid of the creepy crawlies and the occasional creeper that came through, looking for a place to stay. Shuichi shuddered as he recalled his first encounter with a pervert that had come traipsing through the woods. That was something he wished never to happen again. A close call, that’s all it was.

He let out a soft sigh of relief when his tent came into view. His head was pounding, his ribs absolutely ached from wearing his binder, and he felt, overall, weak. His knees felt as if they were going to give out if he had to walk for much longer, so he picked up the pace, only barely managing to keep from collapsing just before he reached the structure.

His shaking fingers fumbled with the zipper as he tried to open the tent flap. His head felt as if it had been stuffed with cotton, muddling his thoughts and making them impossible to distinguish. “I’m home, Mom,” he mumbled out, feeling his eyes droop as he crawled inside the tent. His sleeping bag looked awfully tempting right then and there, but he ignored it, instead reaching for a washcloth he kept near his lamp. _I still have homework that I didn’t manage to get finished,_ he thought, trying to find the soap he had bought from the convenience store the other day. _So I’ll just go and get washed up, and then I’ll finish that before I head to bed._

Once he managed to locate the soap, he turned, intent on making the trek all the way down to the river, as he usually did, to wash his face and make sure he was alert enough to finish his assignments before he inevitably fell asleep on top of his sleeping bag, rather than crawling into it. That seemed to be a trend of his lately, after all.

He barely suppressed a shiver as he left the warmth of his tent and stepped out into the cool night air. The temperature always seemed to drop after the sun went down, partly because of all the trees in the way during the day, he supposed.

“...Saihara-kun?” Kaede’s gentle voice startled Shuichi into looking up, his eyes widening as he stared at the shocked forms of her and Kirumi, standing before him. “You’ve been living out here in this tent?”

Shuichi opened his mouth, trying his best to form a reply. However, he didn’t get very far with that process because as soon as sound passed his lips, his knees buckled beneath him. The last thing he saw was Kaede’s panicked expression and Kirumi lunging forward to catch him before everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you're new here, make sure to leave kudos, and leave a comment down below!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the long awaited chapter 3 of The Zodiac Curse! Those of you who were waiting, thank you for your patience! I really hope you enjoy this one!

_“Shuichi, honey…”_

_What was that voice? It sounded so familiar to Shuichi, warm, comforting, a voice that made him feel safe. He didn’t open his eyes. He couldn’t seem to bring himself to, even when he felt the gentle fingers carding through his hair._

_“Oh… You have a fever again, don’t you…?” The speaker clicked their tongue, a soft, amused sigh escaping through their nose as they laughed. “You always work yourself way too hard, dear. You’re allowed to take breaks, you know…”_

_Shuichi shifted his head, ever so slightly, trying to chase the gentle hand as it withdrew from his hair. Oh, was he resting in someone’s lap? Whatever was under his head, it was warm and comfortable. He felt as if he could sleep here forever._

_“Take care of yourself, please,” came the voice again, this time sounding sad. Shuichi frowned. He didn’t like that. He wanted the voice to be happy. “You worry me when this happens…”_

I’m sorry, _Shuichi thought, struggling to pry his eyes open. He was overcome with the sudden need to see who the voice belonged to, be aware of the speaker. The voice began to hum a soft lullaby, one that was all too familiar to him, as his eyes finally fluttered open, his vision out of focus._

_He lifted his gaze, turning his head back upright to gaze up at the figure that towered above him. Dark blue hair fell into warm, golden-grey eyes, a woman that he could only describe as a gentle beauty smiling down at him. His breath hitched, his eyes stinging with tears._

_“Mom…”_

~~~~~~~

“Saihara-kun?”

Shuichi’s eyes snapped open as he gasped sharply, bolting upright into a sitting position and startling whoever was in the room with him. “S-Saihara-kun, please, lay back down!” The voice was familiar, a worried tone painting the words and making them tremble as gentle hands rested carefully upon his shoulders. “You have a fever; you need to rest!”

This room wasn’t one that he recognized; that much was for certain. It was nicely decorated; however, photographs lining the walls and a small vase of flowers sitting on the table, their petals brightening the room in a way that he appreciated. Bookshelves spanned behind them, most of the titles he could read being ones that he didn’t recognize. Were they new?

He turned his head as he heard floorboards creaking, his clouded golden eyes meeting worried plum as a girl hovered in front of him, easing him gently down onto the pillow again. “Akamatsu-san?” he croaked out, his brow furrowing in confusion as his brain struggled to make sense of the situation. “What..?”

“You collapsed out in the woods,” Kaede fretted, now pressing the back of her hand against his forehead. “You passed out due to a fever, so Kirumi and I brought you back here.”

His eyes widened as she leaned away. “That means--” he began, cutting himself off as Kaede swung back around to face him, her eyes suddenly stern.

“Found out you were living alone in a tent in the woods?” she huffed quietly, crossing her arms over her chest. “Yeah, we did. It’s really dangerous out there, you know, there are all sorts of things that prowl through at night looking for an easy meal. Didn’t you think about what would happen there?” Her voice softened to a more sympathetic tone as she spoke.

“Of course I thought about it,” Shuichi responded quietly, pulling the blanket he had been covered with up to his nose. He couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eye. “But it was a better option than burdening Kiibo-kun, or one of my other classmates. I understand it’s most likely on your property, but please… just let me stay for a little while longer.”

“Nonsense.” Kirumi’s voice was sharp and crisp as she stepped in from another room off to the side, a cloth cradled carefully in her hands. She strode over, almost as if she were floating, Shuichi thought, kneeling beside him and carefully resting the cloth on his head. It was cool, most likely to reduce his fever. “It’d be unwise to allow you to remain out there in such conditions.”

“Conditions?” His brows furrowed. “What conditions?”

“We get landslides out in the woods frequently,” Kaede answered, her eyebrows furrowing as she began to nibble at her nails. “It’d be awful if you were caught in one in that tent of yours…”

“I’ve survived a typhoon in that tent,” Shuichi responded, feeling oddly defensive. “I can handle a simple landslide and a few nasties.” He refused to meet either of their gazes. He knew that his resolve would crumble if he did.

“Have you actually been in a landslide?” Kirumi asked. Her eyes were sharp. “A landslide could collapse your tent and trap you inside, very different than a typhoon. You could suffocate to death in there, and then where would that get you?”

Shuichi flinched back, her tone firm and matter-of-fact. Deep down, he knew she was right. It _was_ rather dangerous of him to be living out there, alone in a tent on land that could be unstable for all he knew. But at the same time, he’d made it this far, right? He’d be able to stick it out for just a little while longer.

Kaede seemed to snap to attention as a dog howled in the distance, her eyes narrowing as her head snapped towards the door. “...There’s been another one,” she mumbled, looking thoughtful and serious all at the same time.

Kirumi straightened to look at her, her gaze worried. “Another one? How far is it?”

The way that Kaede turned to look at Kirumi filled Shuichi with such a sense of dread, and he couldn’t help but laugh nervously. “A-At least it wasn’t anywhere near my tent, r-right?” The silence that followed did nothing to ease the dread that festered within his gut.

~~~~~~~

He almost wanted to scream. He could just barely see the corner of his tent poking out from beneath the mountain of dirt that had come loose from all the recent rain, all of his belongings trapped inside, possibly crushed by the weight of the debris. Kaede stood beside him, surveying the wreckage with a carefully blank face. “...Mom’s picture in there,” he whispered shakily, his mind screaming at him to run while his legs kept him locked in place. “...She’s probably scared, I-I have to get her out.”

Kirumi’s hand came to rest on his shoulder before he could move, her eyes stern as she slowly shook her head. “Don’t,” she said gently. “Your mother would want you to stay away from the situation, especially since you’re sick.”

“Yeah,” Kaede chimed in, her eyes sparkling in the dark. “Go back to the house with Kirumi; I can take care of this here!”

“A-Are you sure?” Shuichi asked, sounding uncertain. “You really can do this all on your own?”

Kaede’s smile turned secretive, her entire posture shifting as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You underestimate me, Saihara-kun. Seriously, I have this covered. You go back and rest.”

Shuichi wanted to argue, he really did, but Kaede and Kirumi were right. His head was still stuffy from his fever, and he felt as if his legs were about to give out any minute. He let Kirumi guide him back up the path, taking her time so his feet wouldn’t catch on any tree branches or other things that stuck out of the ground and send him tumbling to the dirt, listening as she quietly mumbled to herself, going over things that she could do to make him more comfortable, he realized.

It didn’t take them long to get back into the house and for Kirumi to usher him back under his blanket, fluffing his pillow dutifully before she walked off to who knows where in the house.

Being left alone in a strange house wasn’t something he had really been expecting, but then again, neither was his mother dying. He sighed quietly, drawing the blanket up to his nose again as he stared blankly at the ceiling.

“Saihara-kun?” Kirumi asked as she re-entered the room. A book was clutched in one hand as she settled down in front of the table a few feet away. “Would you mind if I asked you a question?”

Shuichi gave no verbal answer, but Kirumi seemed to take Shuichi’s silent gaze as confirmation. “I was wondering why you were living out there in that tent? What events could have possibly led up to it?”

Dread settled in the pit of Shuichi’s stomach as he shifted his eyes away from Kirumi, instead staring blankly up at the ceiling. “..My mom and dad are dead,” he admitted quietly. “Mom died not too long ago, so my uncle stepped up to take care of me, but now the house is being remodeled, so I can’t exactly stay there.” He drew in a shaky breath, trying to keep the tears that welled up in his eyes from dripping down his cheeks. “So, please,” he whispered. “Just let me stay for a while longer.”

Kirumi was quiet, the silence thoughtful as she studied him. “Focus on resting, Saihara-kun,” was her eventual response, the pages of the book she had grabbed rustling as she opened it, picking up where she had left off, discarding the bookmark carefully on the tabletop. “We can discuss this when you’re feeling better.”

Well, that wasn’t _outright_ rejection, Shuichi reasoned as he let his eyes slide shut again. Maybe they’d realize he had no other choice, point him to a more stable plot of land and let him continue about his life. If it was rent they wanted, he didn’t mind. He’d just pick up more hours at work; it was no big deal. At that revelation, a soft smile came to his face, allowing himself to sink into the peaceful darkness of unconsciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Shuichi finally came to again, there was sunlight streaming through the windows of the house, dancing across the floor of the living room in a myriad of patterns. He stared blankly at it for a moment, not entirely awake as his mind sluggishly tried to bring him up to speed. He sat up, glancing around the room to catch his bearings, yelping in surprise as memories of the night before came rushing back to him.

He leaped to his feet, not caring that he was still in pajamas that Kaede had been kind enough to lend to him, rushing for the door that had led to the porch he found the other day, throwing it open in his rush to get outside. “Oh! Good morning, Saihara-kun!”

There, with her golden hair shining in the sunlight, stood Kaede, her plum eyes twinkling as she beamed up at him. In her hands were a few paper bags, her slim fingers grasping at the handles as she set them down on the wooden surface of the porch. “I found these while digging through the landslide, but I’m not sure that I got everything. Once we get everything moved in upstairs, would you mind checking for me?”

“U-Upstairs?” Shuichi repeated dumbly, blinking back down at her in confusion. He recalled seeing a staircase, but what could she possibly mean by moving everything upstairs? Unless…

“You’re going to be staying here with us!” Kaede exclaimed, smiling brightly at him as she climbed up the steps to stand on the porch. “We have a spare room upstairs, it needs a little cleaning, sure, but nothing we can’t handle. You’ll fit right in here. It’s no problem to us!”

Shuichi’s eyes widened, his lips parting as a noise of surprise left his throat. “N-No, I can’t possibly ask you to do that for me,” he said, shaking his head quickly. He wrung his hands in front of him nervously. “I’d be imposing on you, and you probably have enough to deal with since you go to separate schools and everything-”

“It’s no trouble, Saihara-kun, you won’t be imposing on anyone!” Kaede chirped, picking the bags back up with one hand and gently touching his shoulder with the other. “Come on, follow me, and I can show you your room! Kirumi-san already went ahead and told your teachers that you’d fallen ill and wouldn’t be able to attend today, so we can work on cleaning out that room for you!” 

“B-But what about you, don’t you have-?”

“I have the day off today,” Kaede responded, cutting Shuichi off with a grin. “So I’m free all day.”

Even with the reassurance that everything would be fine, Shuichi couldn’t help the guilt that roiled in his gut. On top of everything else, he’d even be missing a day of school. Now he’d fall even farther behind. He didn’t have time for this, he thought, chewing at his nails as he quietly followed Kaede up the stairs into a section of the house he hadn’t realized existed.

“It’s a little musty,” the blonde girl spoke as she opened a door, making Shuichi wonder if the silence was making her nervous, “but we can definitely spruce this up a little bit.” She walked over to the side of the room, where a window was letting some light in, setting the bags down just beneath it. “You can wait in here while I get a broom and a dustpan, okay?” Kaede turned, reassuringly smiling at him before she departed from the room, leaving Shuichi blinking in her wake.

The room was nice, he had to admit, as he stepped in further to get a better look. The carpet, while a bit too dirty for his taste, was pretty soft under his feet. It’d be even softer once it was properly cleaned. Looking toward one corner of the room, he noticed some indents in the carpet, evenly spaced, as if a bed had resided there once. Some more indents sat a few feet away from it, a nightstand, perhaps? Had someone lived here before? Oh, that made Shuichi even more guilty. He was taking someone else’s space, even if they seemed to have moved on quite some time ago.

Shaking his head quickly and coughing quietly on the dust that filtered through the air, he began to cross the room. Some fresh air would do everyone some good, he thought, fumbling with the latch on the window. He didn’t want to break the thing after all. The roof above him creaked. Would it collapse in at some point? Maybe he should mention that to Kaede so they could get it checked.

And that’s when the roof came crashing down behind him. Shuichi let out a startled gasp, shielding his face as bits of wood and dust whirled around in the breeze caused by the sudden opening, covering his face with his arms to shield himself from any of the offending debris. “What was that?!” came Kaede’s startled shriek, following by a rhythmic pounding as she rushed her way up the stairs.

Shuichi found himself unable to say anything, only watching as the dust began to settle, revealing the figure that had come crashing through the roof and into the bedroom. It was what, he assumed, was a boy, from the back at least, with crazy purple hair that, funnily enough, reminded him of an octopus with the way that it stuck out. He had on a bright purple hoodie that, if Shuichi squinted, had a pair of cat ears attached to the hood and what he could only assume was a tail attached near the bottom. “Is everything-” Kaede stopped short as she skidded into view of the doorway, her eyes going wide and her jaw-dropping.

“Awww,” came the newcomer’s voice, high-pitched and lilting as he tilted his head to the side. “Akamatsu-chan came running to check on me? How sweet of her~ I didn’t realize I was missed that much!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! If you enjoyed, please leave a comment below and, if you're new, please leave kudos as well!! See you next update!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, long time no see! I finally managed to finish this chapter, and I'm so excited to get it out to you guys!
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing it, so I hope you all can enjoy it as much as I did.

“Where have you been?” was Kaede’s first question. She looked conflicted, in Shuichi’s opinion, shifting on her feet as if she didn’t know whether to run to this boy and hug him or stand her ground. 

The boy shrugged, humming as he swayed from foot to foot. “Here, there. Everywhere. None of your business, though, so I won’t say any more than that.” He glanced around the room. “Where’s Mom? I thought she would have been here to welcome me with her open arms~.”

His mother? He could cross Kaede off the list, she was here, so there would have been no point in him asking. The only other person that lived here, to Shuichi’s knowledge at least, was Kirumi. Was she this boy’s mother? He certainly was on the shorter side, but judging from the deepness of his voice, they had to be around the same age, so it wasn’t likely. “She’s at school,” Kaede responded, her expression oddly guarded.

Was this boy a problem? Some sort of threat? Shuichi’s heart clenched at the thought of harm coming to those who lived here. “U-Um,” he stuttered, speaking up and finally catching the newcomer’s attention. He whirled on his heel to stare at Shuichi with wide eyes, his lips parting slightly when their eyes met for a split second. There was a flicker of something in his (startlingly purple) eyes before his eyebrows furrowed, and he turned back to look at Kaede.

“Who’s this rando?” he asked, his tone accusatory and curious at the same time. “And why is he here? I thought we had a rule to not let strangers into the house?”

“His name is Saihara,” Kaede said defensively, crossing her arms over her chest. “And he was living out in the woods. He could have died in a landslide. Do you seriously think we would have just left him out there?”

The purple-haired boy clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth disapprovingly, shaking his head as he crossed his arms. “Wooow, wait until everyone finds out that Akamatsu-chan’s a  _ dirty _ rule-breaker,” he scolded, grinning impishly at Kaede. He stalked forward in a manner that Shuichi could only assume to be predatory. Was he going to attack her? Should he step in?

“Like you aren’t one yourself,” Kaede retorted, her eyebrows pinched together as she met the shorter boy’s stare. “You’re out here for the same reason we are; you have no right to play that game.”

“U-Um-”

Shuichi’s voice went ignored as the boy moved closer to Kaede. “Oh, so now you bare your teeth? You’ve never done that before. I wonder why...?” He tipped his head to the side. “Is it because we have an audience? Are you desperate to seem like the one on top of the situation?”

“Shut up,” Kaede snapped. “It’s nothing like that. You’re just trying to rile me up.” Her eyes were glittering with annoyance as she stared at the shorter boy.

“Oh? Would you say it’s working?” the boy hummed, his eyes glittering with delight, taking another step closer. “I’m glad~.”

“Stop it!” Shuichi cried out, taking the initiative and reaching forward to grasp the shorter boy’s sleeve. “Please don’t fight!”

“Saihara-kun-” Kaede started.

It was too late. The boy ripped his arm away with far more strength than Shuichi was expecting, catching him off-guard. His socked feet slipped on the carpet, and he pitched forward, narrowly missing the boy as he jumped out of the way and collided with Kaede, who instinctively put her arms out to catch him.

He could only register the quiet “fuck” she uttered before a cloud of strangely colored smoke blinded him. They landed on the floor in a heap, and Shuichi scrambled to get off of her, his eyes wide. “O-Oh my god, are you oka-”

Shuichi paused, his mouth still hanging open. Why was there a dog? Where had it come from? And where even was Kaede? She couldn’t have gotten too far, right? He had fallen right on her, so-

“Wooow, good  _ job _ , Akamatsu-chan~” the purple-haired boy hummed, clapping his hands in a slow, sarcastic manner. “Way to let the cat out of the bag, huh?” He giggled a strange laugh, making Shuichi turn his head to stare at him.

“Wh-What happened?” he asked, his voice shaking with wide-eyed confusion. “Where’s Akamatsu-san? I-Is she okay? Why is there a dog here??”

“Are you stupid?” the boy asked, rolling his eyes. “That  _ is _ Akamatsu-chan! You turned her into a dog, and now she’s stuck like that forever!”

“ _ What _ ?!” Shuichi shrieked, whipping his head back around to stare at the dog that now looked pretty annoyed. “I-Is she really-?”

“Ouma-kun’s just a liar,” the dog huffed, rolling its eyes as it pulled itself up to a sitting position. It was strange, hearing Kaede’s voice coming from a golden retriever like that. “I’m not stuck like this forever, so don’t worry about that.” Kaede turned her head to glare at Kokichi. “If you would have just kept quiet, he probably wouldn’t have suspected a thing.”

“Oh sure,” the boy, Ouma-kun, huffed, rolling his eyes again. “Like it’s ever that simple. You know, this is why we have rules. You should have just stayed at the estate like you were told.”

“You know  _ why _ I left,” Kaede growled, narrowing her eyes. “You left for the same reason that Kirumi and I did; you could apply that same logic to yourself.”

“W-Wait, are you guys related?” Shuichi asked dumbly, following the exchange with his eyes. He hadn’t moved from where he sat on the floor, feeling way too overwhelmed to stand.

“Unfortunately,” Kaede replied, sighing and shaking her head. “Saihara-kun, meet Ouma Kokichi.”

“...Okay,” he said, slowly looking back at Kaede, taking in her fuzzy, floppy ears and her long snout. “A-And… why are you a dog?”

“That’s a long story,” she said, looking apprehensive, “and probably one that’d be best to wait for Kirumi to get home for.” She shuffled her paws anxiously on the carpet. “She can decide what to do from there.”

Shuichi nodded quietly, looking down at his hands, studying the way they rested on his lap before he peeked at Kokichi out of the corner of his eye.

“...What?” Kokichi asked once he noticed Shuichi’s stare. “What do you want?”

“O-Oh, nothing,” Shuichi said quietly, averting his gaze. 

Kokichi continued to stare at him, clearly not believing him, yet he didn’t say a thing on the matter. “Well,” he said after a moment, folding his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. “I’ll go and call Mom since she should know that Kayayday blew our cover.”

And with that, Kokichi had left the room. Kaede rolled her eyes with an irritated growl. “Who does he think he is, acting like he didn’t have a part in this?” she muttered to herself. “If he had just caught you, none of this would have happened.”

Shuichi blinked, tilting his head to the side. “I-If he had caught me?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “Wh-What do you mean?”

Kaede opened her mouth as if to respond, but she shut it again, shaking her head. “Essentially,” she began, looking thoughtful as if she were trying to choose her words carefully. “We’re cursed. Our family has been for as long as anyone can remember.”

“Cursed?” Shuichi questioned blankly. “Cursed how…?”

Kaede opened her mouth as if to respond before shaking her head. “I can’t say, Saihara-kun,” she said softly. “Kirumi-san can if she decides it’s for the best, but for now, I’m sorry.”

Shuichi opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but he couldn’t seem to bring himself to. This was a pretty big secret he had stumbled upon; he couldn’t expect to be spoonfed answers as soon as he demanded them. “Alright,” he said finally, averting his gaze. “I can wait.”

“Thank you, Saihara-kun,” she said softly, smiling as best as a dog could.

“You really should be looking away soon,” Kokichi hummed from where he leaned in the doorway. “Akamatsu-chan’s going to be changing back at any moment, and when that happens, she’ll be-”

Kokichi’s warning came too late, however, as the cloud of smoke from earlier returned, enveloping the room in its strange color before dissipating as it had earlier. Shuichi let out an embarrassed shriek, scrambling to get up and leave the room and nearly barrelling Kokichi over in the process. “...Naked,” Kokichi finished his sentence, snickering to himself and earning a glare from Kaede where she sat on the floor.

“You’re impossible,” she grumbled, gathering her clothes from the floor and standing up, marching over to the door and pushing Kokichi out of the way to slam it shut. “Go wait for Kirumi-san to get home.”

The last thing she could hear as she redressed herself was Kokichi’s obnoxious laughter retreating down the stairs as he headed to the living room to entertain himself. She prayed silently for strength before she left the room, heading down as well to face the consequences that would be waiting for her once Kirumi returned home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey! Thanks for reading! Please leave kudos if you're new, and don't be afraid to leave a comment telling me what you think! I'll see you next update!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, and thank you for reading this! I've wanted to write this for a while, and now I finally am, I hope you enjoyed it! Make sure to leave kudos if you haven't already, and comment down below telling me what you think!


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